Fries took the stand in his own defense, telling jurors that Crookshank started a confrontation with him at the bar and attacked him as he left the pub. The defense is expected to rest its case today, and then attorneys will present closing arguments.

Thursday’s testimony included friends or acquaintances of Crookshank, who testified that they have heard some people talk about Crookshank drinking and being obnoxious or getting into arguments or fights.

Fries, 43, who lived north of Vilano Beach, is charged with first-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Paul Crookshank, who was 29.

Prosecutors believe that Fries acted with premeditation and fired the .357 revolver, but Fries said he acted in self-defense when he pulled the gun from his holster outside of the downtown St. Augustine pub. He said he did not intend for Crookshank to be shot.

“I was surprised, shocked,” he said.

Earlier that day

The defense began calling witnesses on Thursday, briefly examining investigators from the scene and talking with someone who said he met Fries, who he said is a friend, on Sept. 10, 2011, in Vilano Beach.

Oliver Barksdale later called Fries to the stand and asked him about the day he met Crookshank.

Fries had recently spent several days in the hospital from a motorcycle wreck. He decided to go to a restaurant and a pub in Vilano Beach that Saturday. He had a scab across his forehead from the wreck.

That afternoon he left his home, where he was living with his wife at the time, and he went to Vilano Beach. He took his gun.

“No particular reason,” he said.

While in Vilano Beach, Fries met Crookshank for the first time. Crookshank talked about going downtown and asked if he wanted to go. Fries told him he didn’t have any cash with him and could not go.

Later outside of a pub, Fries said he saw Crookshank approach his friend, and he stepped in between them.

He said Crookshank told his friend, “Why are you lookin’ at me all crazy? ... I said, ‘What’s the problem?’ Or something like that.”

Fries said Crookshank backed off and his friend paid for a beer for Crookshank. Fries went to get the beer for him, and things seemed fine.

Later that night, the two talked again.

Crookshank said he called a cab, and he would pay for Fries’ ride downtown. Fries decided to go, and planned to take a cab back to Vilano Beach later with Crookshank.

‘Cryptic’ words

On the cab ride to the Giggling Gator, Crookshank started acting strangely.

“Mr. Crookshank started giving the cab driver kind of a hard time ... he didn’t want to pay the fare,” Fries said.

And, “he was starting to mumble some kind of cryptic weird stuff.”

The two men went inside the Giggling Gator together and drank beer at the bar. Then Crookshank started talking about money.

Fries said he told Crookshank earlier in the evening that he didn’t have cash on him. He said Crookshank made a flicking motion at his scabbed forehead and started saying strange things such as, “You don’t know who I am.”

He thought Crookshank was trying to start a fight.

“I put down my drink. I was gonna leave,” Fries said.

‘I was afraid’

Fries said he was outside and walking away from the pub when Crookshank attacked him.

“I got a couple of steps toward [the] corner and, wham, I was on that deck,” he said.

He got up and saw Crookshank.

“He was coming at me,” Fries said. “At that point I was screaming at him.”

Fries told him to back up, but he kept coming. They were screaming at each other, but not about a woman, he said. Then Fries pulled his gun and threatened to shoot Crookshank.

“I wanted to stop him,” Fries said.

“I was afraid I was gonna get badly beaten.”

Crookshank paused but then grabbed Fries. Fries said Crookshank did not put his hands in the air, which is what a witness testified. That witness, a former employee at a convenience store near the pub, also testified the men were yelling about a woman.

Fries said he pushed Crookshank and the two went back toward the pub’s deck. They were struggling, and Crookshank grabbed for the gun.

“At one point … he got his hand on the gun ... I just went berserk,” Fries said.

Fries pulled back and Crookshank lunged, and they both went to the ground. Crookshank fell on top of him, and Crookshank tried to grab the gun.

“I was pointing the gun at him. He was trying to grab it,” Fries said.

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

Then the gun went off, and a police officer found Fries and grabbed him. The officer previously testified he saw Fries crouched over Crookshank.

During cross examination, prosecutor Jacquelyn Roys asked Fries about why he had no, or very few, injuries despite struggling on a coquina parking lot. She showed photos of Fries’ chest and back.

“You’ve now, according to you, been on the ground twice on coquina ... we see your body here ... you’re not injured?” she asked.

”I believe I had some marks on me,” Fries said.

Roys also asked if Fries agreed that the shooting was unintentional and if he agreed he did not feel the need to kill Crookshank.

“I did not shoot him, so I didn’t shoot him for any reason,” Fries said.

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(See picture) "I was shocked when this dangerous thug charged me" " I didnt know what else to do, so I accidentally wasted him."

That's illegal and makes zero sense. The prosecutor would have to be a dead beat not to win this one...(See ballistics evidence that points directly to the fact that Fries deliberatly annihilated this drunk maniac.) I still wonder what it was over. Probably the victim's usual rude and violent behavior when under the influence of booze to the tune of .287. He was so pickled that I wouldn't be suprised if he walked into the court room tomorrow. The prosecutor should have argued that he couldn't have presented that kind of threat to Fries.